Monique Suarez

7th Period/ ISM

Title: These Are The Best IPhone Photos in 2016

Author: Rachel Lowry
Date of Article: July 07, 2016
Link: http://time.com/4393576/iphone-photo-awards-2016/
Summary:
This article discussed the IPhone Photography Awards, the group of people who won the
award and what kind of photo that they took that allowed for such a tremendous appeal. The
IPhone Photography Awards is an international competition that focuses specifically on
IPhone and mobile photography. The article highlights each specific winner and what they
photographed. The individual who won the Grand Prize was Siyuan Niu who lives all the way in
Xinjiang, China. It is explained that Niu won the Grand Prize for his image of a 70-year old
Khalkha with his golden eagle in the Tianshan Mountains (Lowry, Paragraph 5). After Niu, the
others that placed in the same category are discussed. For each photographer, a description of
their photo is explained and the most appealing aspect of their photo is brought to attention. For
example, second prize went to a graphic designer named Kuleta because of the impressionistic
look at a long standing architectural structure (Lowry, Paragraph 9). This article emphasizes
that despite where you come from, you can create art and photography if you go out and utilize
your resources to the best of your abilities.
Connection to Essential Question:
This article is connected to my project topic because it pertains to photography. My
project topic focuses on the aesthetics of photography and how to create the best photo possible.
My article relates to this topic because it goes in depth with the interesting aspects of each photo
that won. For example, in paragraph 12, Lowry explains that Robertis attempts to capture
images that invoke magical places found only in the subconscious of those who dare to peel
behind the curtain of day-to-day life, which is displayed through her photo of an extension of
long Cape Cod grass...with a red umbrella (Lowry, Paragraph 12). This highlights one of the
important aspects of aesthetic photography, which is: having a subject and having a purpose.
Another example of a photographer choosing a specific purpose and subject is second place
winner, Kuleta. Kuleta chose to focus on a building because of its painterly effect and how
grandiose and surreal the exposure to the architecture made the photographer feel and most
importantly, how it affected the allure of the photograph (Lowry, Paragraph 10). After choosing
the subject and taking the photo, the aesthetic of the photograph, before being showcased, is
edited using software apps like Snapseed and Photoshop Express (Lowry, Paragraph 12).
Personal Response:
I thought this article was really interesting. I had no idea that IPhone Photography
Awards existed. This is intriguing to me because I have always considered submitting some form
of photography to a contest. I felt inspired when Lowry explained that stunning imagery... can
be captured with even the smallest of cameras, (Lowry, Paragraph 17). This article made me
consider what exactly I want my product subject to be when I am conducting my photo-shoot.
After looking over the photos that won, I plan on emphasizing color scheme and background
when dressing my subjects and editing the photographs. Another emotion that the article evoked
was an emotion of excitement. When Niu says, the IPhone is like a pen in our hands...the pen
itself will never write poems, but the poets will, I felt excited for my future in photography and
ready to create art (Lowry, Paragraph 18). I hope to eventually produce a photograph that I can
submit into the competition.
MLA Citation:
Lowry, Rachel. "These Are the Best IPhone Photos of 2016." Time. Time, 7 July 2016. Web. 06
Feb. 2017.